A cosmetic surgery package left 4 children without a mother. The real cost of health tourism — and what Canadians should consider

According to a Toronto Sun article (1), after checking into the clinic on Monday, March 2, 2026, Gailloux underwent the surgeries. Reports state the procedures went smoothly. But her condition began to deteriorate. And by 4 pm Saturday, Jessika Chagnon Gailloux was dead (2).

While the investigation is ongoing, with toxicology results still pending, her devastated family back in Quebec are left to mourn the young mother. To help, a GoFundMe page has been set up in the name of her four children.

Gailloux’s death is a tragedy.

It’s also a stark reminder of a fast-growing global industry with little to no oversight, that markets lower-cost surgery to Canadians every day. The marketing emphasizes the savings, the fun, the new start, and rarely mentions the medical, financial and legal risks that can follow Canadians all the way home.

What is medical tourism — and how big is it?

Medical tourism is any travel abroad for elective procedures. The typical motivation is to save money, although easier or faster access is also a motivation to travel outside of Canada for medical procedures.

The most common procedures sought by Canadians abroad include tummy tucks, breast augmentation, liposuction, dental work, bariatric surgery and hair transplants.

And the numbers are striking.

The global medical tourism market was estimated at US$48.4 billion in 2025, with projections reaching US$154.79 billion by 2033 (3). Patients Beyond Borders estimates roughly 21 to 22 million cross-border patients worldwide in 2023, spending an average of US$3,510 per visit (4).

Biggest medical tourism destinations

Turkey has become one of the most popular destinations for out-of-country visitors seeking cosmetic work. In 2024, tourists travelling to Turkey for elective procedures spent approximately C$4.08 billion in health tourism (5). Hair transplantation accounts for about 50% of Turkey's medical tourism procedures, followed by ophthalmology and cosmetic surgery (6).

Mexico is another top destination with approximately C$2.9 billion spent on health tourism in 2025 (7). The primary procedures sought after are dental, bariatric and cosmetic care (8).

Why Canadians go — and what it actually costs

Social media, all-inclusive package pricing and influencer-style marketing have helped normalize the idea of booking surgery the same way you might book a beach vacation. While the idea of a vacation and a fresh start is appealing, the real motivator is cost.

Cosmetic procedures are rarely covered by provincial health plans, and domestic private pricing can be steep. A package deal that bundles surgery, accommodation and airport transfers in a lower-cost country can look like an obvious solution.

Wait times are another factor. The Fraser Institute reported a median 28.6-week wait between a general practitioner referral and treatment in Canada in 2025 (9). For some patients, the appeal of booking an appointment that cuts the wait to days and weeks rather than months is hard to ignore.

As a result, Canadians spent as much as C$2.3 billion on out-of-country health care between 2017 and 2021 (10). That is money leaving Canada's economy, not circulating through domestic tourism and service industries. And when those Canadians return home with complications, the costs can shift back to Canada’s public healthcare system.

When things go wrong — and the bill comes home

Here is where surgery tourism becomes a personal finance issue for all Canadians, not just those who travel.

An Alberta study published in the Surgical Endoscopy Journal found that 25 surgeons in the province consulted about 59 bariatric medical tourists per year, at a cost of roughly C$1 million annually to the provincial health system (11). A separate estimate cited by Healthy Debate, a Canadian health policy publication, suggests that postoperative infectious complications from medical tourism may cost Canada between C$5.9 million and C$17.7 million annually (12).

Those are public dollars spent treating complications from privately arranged procedures abroad.

The Government of Canada explicitly warns that care received outside the country can come with serious risks: antibiotic-resistant infections, incomplete medical records, poor communication between foreign and Canadian providers and difficulty arranging follow-up once patients return home (13).

There is also the question of travel insurance. Most standard travel insurance policies exclude complications tied to elective procedures. That means if something goes wrong abroad — or after you land back in Canada — you may be responsible for the cost, or you may be leaning on a public health-care system that wasn't designed for this.